Sunday, October 05, 2008

Old Jalopy

That's the best way to describe my training lately. Some days are bad, some days are good... unfortunately, none have really been that great. Kind of like being forced to drive an Ford Pinto. The plantar fasciitis continues to wane at least. I'm nearly ready to declare it dead, but I don't want to parallel this scenario:

The plantar fasciitis aside, today I just didn't feel very energetic. That's been somewhat common in my runs recently. I guess I just need to be a little more patient and things will turn around.

I went through a similar scenario last November through mid-late December. Back then, I had a bit of runner's knee going on but also just didn't feel all that energetic. I suspect that I get a bit depressed with my running when I'm "hurt" and as a result I'm not as psyched to run.

With the PF waning though, hopefully things will turn around a bit. Just a bit of bad timing with the marathon two weeks away!

I think the waning sunlight definitely plays havoc on our bodies and makes us feel sluggish or just somehow off kilter for awhile. I bet you will have a surprising amount of energy for the marathon, though!

In 2001, after I'd finished my first 100, I went to the Tetons for a week of mountaineering. I went 7 weeks after the race. I normally do very well at altitude and we weren't climbing really tough routes - max grade of 5.7. But, to be honest, I wasn't there mentally or physically for that trip. One of my best friends is probably still mad at me because I backed off on every single climb. The other two guys on the trip still got some peaks, but I was a wet blanket on that trip.

Recovery from a tough race can take you by surprise. I believe that Vermont this year was your second 100, but you essentially trained to two peaks this year - one for WS and a second for VT. Plus, you ran a solid 50 miler at the beginning of summer. Perhaps your body is telling you that it just isn't ready to go hard quite yet.

Last year, after Vermont, I was sick for a lot of August and despite that, I raced twice due to promises I'd made to people. By the end of August, i was so drained that I shut my season down for the year and did no hard running from late August through the end of the year. When it was time to ramp up training for WS this year, I had to catch up a bit fitness-wise, but I was rested and motivated.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your training or racing. But, perhaps you are still not as recovered from your ultras as you might like to be, and the tiredness and PF might both be related.